“The goal was to shake up B.B. King’s music and make it chart-friendly”: B.B. King had his breakthrough blues guitar moment with The Thrill Is Gone – but it was Jerry Jemmott’s bass that made it groove

Blues musician B.B. King and American bass guitarist Jerry Jemmott.

B.B. King was already a 20-year veteran bluesman when he began to seep into mainstream America's consciousness during the late '60s, via the praise of rock guitarists like Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield and an opening spot on a 1969 Rolling Stones tour.

At MCA, King's label, a young producer named Bill Szymczyk approached King about recording with New York session musicians. A somewhat reluctant B.B. agreed to do half an album with the studio crew and half live (at the Village Gate) with his band. The result was the now-classic Live and Well.